Kefir FAQ 1

I compiled a list of questions people commonly ask me.
Here’s a quick FAQ 🙂

1. I have this really puffy Kefir grain, could I divide it to give to other people?YES, just do it! I don’t have a problem with metal utensils but other people still stress that you should use plastic. So it’s up to you if you want to experiment.

2. So how long will each Kefir grain live?Kefir grains are practically immortal. Just take care of them and not intentionally kill them.

3. My Kefir are more bitter now than before, why is that?Your Kefir grains are probably old. Use the new ones that have been produced.

4. Will my Kefir grains get spoiled? Contaminated?These guys are tough, they can counter pretty much anything. Be aware though, if it really started to taste differently, then just using your newer batch of Grains.

5. Where can I get Kefir Grains?I have gotten the best from this guy. Just bought mine and used ii and

6. I have diabetes! Can I drink this?This practically doesn’t have any additional sugar unless you used the water Kefir process (Subscribe to the mailing list to know more fast) so it’s safe for diabetics.

7. I’m pregnant can I drink this?I prefer to advise people not to drink this when pregnant but I have met Kefir lovers that really drink this. This is sort of a disclaimer 🙂

8. How about infants?I have met people that have fed babies with Kefir but…..I still prefer to advise people not to do it. Digestion is not the problem because it’s very easy to digest. It’s just me staying on the safe side since Kefir has a little bit of alcohol content. It’s just almost one percent but it could almost be zero too. It really depends on the temperature and the length of fermentation.

9. I want to leave it for a longer time but I’m afraid my jar will explode!Just put it in the fridge. It slows down the fermentation process. If you really want to leave it for a longer time, the Kefir produced should not be drank. Then when you finally need to use them, just take them out of the fridge and give them time to recuperate. It will take a while for them to be back at full strength.

10. I tasted the Kefir from the supermarket! It doesn’t take like this!That’s because they are not from real milk Kefir. It would be impractical to mass produce this. By the way, Kefir from Kefir grains are better than the Kefir starters you get in your local stores. If you want to try it out first, feel free to buy the starter. After that, I suggest you get the Kefir grains.

11. I’m very sensitive to dairy but I’m really interested in making kefir. Can kefir be made with coconut milk or another type of milk?From past experience, YES it can. But it is always best to grow the Kefir grains in milk for a few weeks so that they can really rebalance. Only then, should you start adding them to other mediums.

12. I’m lactose intolerant and have problems digesting kefir.People who are dairy sensitive can drink kefir. This is because the probiotics in Kefir predigest the lactose and the nutrients for you allowing your body to digest it easily.

I will add more frequently asked questions soon. I hope you enjoyed this and see you soon!

P.S. Please join my list by signing up below, you will get a free report which includes every basic thing about Kefir and Kefir grains.P.S.S. Tell your friends about it too. You can just click the “Share This” button below.

About Giselle

Giselle is a nutritionist/writer/entrepreneur and.... unsurprisingly, the owner of this blog. She also writes on CushFood, which is a new herbs, food and nutrition blog. She loves the gym, and she can flex & split like a zombie, coz she's a freak like that. Follow the Your Kefir Source Twitter Profile and Facebook page here!

Comments

i was given some grains and been slowly drinking. used regular milk but will go to the best i can get. no one seems to be addressing just how much to drink. e.g. a tablespoon or as much as a quart?
are there ANY dangers?

Hi Giselle, I’m still not getting the nice kefir grains as shown on other sites, now your site. My kefir looks mushy and tiny and its been 2 months or so that I began. What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I get the nice cauliflower look as you have? this is the second time I’ve asked. Could I have killed my kefir? I’ve been using cold pasterized whole milk

its actually the first time i’ve heard from anyone about mucus build up so I am not sure about it. I guess ill have to ask some people about it. I personally didn’t experience it.

Kids will usually not like it at first. Try mixing it up with fruits, like what others do with yogurt 🙂

I’ve never tried almond milk but Im guessing it will work just as good. Ive tried coconut milk and it turned out well 🙂

You can find wheatgrass at your local stores. Ill be offering it in the near future.

About the grains, did you watch MP’s videos? From my experience, it’s preferable not using cold milk as it really slows everything down.
If you can email me some pics and details on what you did, ill forward it to michael 🙂

my son is a type 1 diabetic. I ordered some dairy kefir grains and water kefir grains and a kombucha scoby but I am having difficulty finding out the carbohydrate content for any of the recipes and such with these things. I want to switch our family to much healthier things but have to be careful with his diabetes. His insulin is based on his carbohydrate amounts. Any ideas or help would be appreciated

hy, i’ve been making kefir for a month and then decided to pause. i kept the grains in a small amount of milk milk and changed the milk and rinsed them in water everyday. for a week. i’ve decided to continue making kefire after this pause and put them in a large amount of milk (1 liter) milk once again.
they were in the milk for 24 hours and no kefir was made!
have i killed them somehow?

I have been using and growing kefir milk for almost two months now . It has improved my gastric motility and lessened the gastric acidity brought about by my GERD condition.
About two days ago , i noticed a few fruit flies roaming around my kefir milk despite being covered with a double sided gauze pad. This afternoon i was surprised to see some white live worms on top of the kefir milk. Can i still use this ???

Kent
I have used half and half mixed about 1 part half and half with 3 parts milk and the kefir tasted the same, perhaps a bit thicker but otherwise didn’t see or taste any difference. Not sure about heavy cream, you might want to try it with the extra grains you always get!

What happens to the quality of Kefir ( Good bacterias) when it becomes sour. When is the right time to consume it( I mean the taste ).
In India with the atmosphere temperatures fluctuating from 22 C to 31 C in a day, the Kefir thickens in 8 hrs & by 12 hrs it becomes sour.Should I add anything to it to slow down (I add milk from refrigerator to the bottle with Kefir ,app. 7 C).or is it alright to slow the process?

The kefir bacteria is still good when it is sour. The taste, I believe that is personal preference.

If it seems too sour for you then don’t drink

It is so warm where you live that you will have to experiment with your soaking time. It could
easily be that your kefir is ready in 4 – 8 with those temps. Adding the cool milk was a good
idea to slow down the process a bit but you could also just pull out about half the kefir grains
to really slow it down.

I am very new to this, 4 days to be exact. My grains are going nuts! My 2 TBL have doubled in several days, and it’s making about a quart jar of thick thick kefir a day. My problem, I’m having troubles getting the grains out of the kefir because it’s so thick. When I put it in a strainer, it wouoldn’t even go through, it was like cottage cheese. Tonight I actually went and bought a cheesecloth and squeezed the kefir through their so I could find my grains. What am I doing wrong? This must be easier cuz it’s taking me over an hour/day just to go through the kefir, find the grains, and make more.

New milk kefir grains are usually smaller than older grains. I know when I first got my milk kefir grains they were smaller but as they grew they became more puffy. They look like little pieces of cauliflower now.

Hi Giselle, My wife Daphne has digestive issues and would like to try kefir from raw goats milk. Should we order milk grains to do this? are there any recommendations that we should observe.
Adrian & Daphne, Devon, UK

I have been making kefir for 4 months and the benefits are all amazing. Better sleeping, sugar levels going down, better mood, my allergies seem to be getting betting, loosing weight, Wow!! I thought you could not use honey with kefir, because of honey’s antibacteria properties, and it was better to use agave?? you can put some of your grains with heavy cream, and when you strain that you have a cream cheese like product, it’s excellent, you can mold it in plastic containers, chill it, then wrap it in plastic wrap and use it like cream cheese. take advocadoes, kefir, coco powder you get chocolate pudding to die for. please let me know about the honey thank you paula